Ninth studio album from Stephen Jacques out now!
Indie artist Stephen Jacques shares his newest album Charmed to Death out now! Known for working very closely with multi-instrumentalist and producer Alan Weatherhead, he’s come forward to bring his nostalgia folk-alternative vibe for others to hear. This will be his 9th studio album that Jacques has released to date.
Charmed to Death is best described as a “manifestation of material Stephen gathered throughout his career as engineer, custom builder, actor, and TV host.” Jacques describes his sound as energizing folk with a twist of alternative rock, which is a pretty accurate description of this recent release. While this release has a bit of grit to it in terms of production, the folk inspiration is highlighted in his ability to string together different stories in his lyrics.
Jacques’ opening track “One Day You’ll Discover” starts us off with a strong and bright resonance in his raspy voice. His alternative musical side really shines through in this song. There’s a washy and ambient sound to his guitar sound that really stood out to me and really made me enjoy the song. There’s a huge feeling of nostalgia in his music, and while this is something that flows through most of the album, I think that it’s still important to note. His next track “When I Fell in Love with You” has a softer tone to it, but still carries a very nostalgic element which translates well in his music video for “When I Fell in Love with You.”
Watch the video for “When I Fell In Love With You”
“Caroline (MLK Tribute)” has a special place in my heart because of everything going on in the world today., and I really respect his vision and him as an artist for using his platform to raise awareness for the black community and the BLM movement. There’s a warmth within the raspiness of his voice snd blends well with his modern dreamy-pop instrumentation.
The title track “Charmed to Death” is a fun song to listen to, but overall, fell short in terms of production. I felt that the vocals and the instrumentation were all sitting in the same spacea of frequencies, leaving no room for the main vocals to really shine over everything else. A chorus that has the potential to stand out and soar above it all stood in the background with everything else. As the title track for the album, In the end, he makes up for it with a memorable guitar solo that helps bring the song to a clean close.
“Love for a Moment” is another little favorite of mine. He makes a ton of comparisons when talking about love and does so with a sweeter and more sensible tone. His dreamy- alternative pop sound continues to drive the song which gives a bit of an edge like previous tracks. The same can be said for his track “Turquoise Waters” with an insanely unforgettable guitar riff that dominates the song.
Beginning a more cinematic feel to Charmed to Death is “Morning Surfers.” This new energy really helps to diversify his sound and round out the album as a whole. Closing out his newest release is his final song “Jamaican Breeze.” Right off the bat, his catchy little guitar riffs make this song another memorable one for me. Jacques also manages to bring his sound back home with that nostalgia-inspired style of songwriting.
Be sure to check out Stephen Jacques and listen to Charmed to Death on Spotify!